The Ancient Curse of SoulGunBlack
by carnax489
Summary: Just another ordinary day in Neopia, until a strange dream in the night of a white Lupe reveals horrible events soon to occur. Starring me, my pets, my friend smileyhappy393, her pets and my friend bunnymuffin41's red Lupe lolalupe41
1. Intro

Hi everyone, this is my first story that is being submitted to the Neopian Times. All of these ideas surprisingly came to me in my dreams and I kinda like it. As it is going to the Times, it has been toned down as necessary. Let me know what you think. All permission for certain characters was obtained from the neopians that owned them and are them :). The credit will be documented when I get through to the Times.


	2. Chapter 1: Another Ordinary Day

**Part 1 - Another ordinary day**

The light of day shone through the two windows of the room, gently stirring the red Lupe from his slumber. He got out of his bed, made of rough stalks of straw, and rubbed his eyes. "That stuff really itches," he thought to himself, but he knew his owner was doing his best. He took a quick glance at the two Red Geraptiku Vases on the desk – also made of straw - and sighed. It never seemed to make any sense how a straw desk could hold those things without breaking. He took a look at the Snowager poster that was hanging on the wall and said, "One day I'll get something special from you." He padded to the main room of the house for breakfast, opening up a secret passageway in the floor and following it downwards. He had discovered this underground network when his owner first built the main room. Only he and his owner knew of them. He soon opened up the secret door into the main room, where his owner and three brothers were still sleeping comfortably near the fire. Smiling, he made his way over to the Jinjah Desk that they received at Christmas. The yellow Lupe slowly opened one eye. Noticing his brother, he walked over.

"Good morning, Crusherwhite," he yawned sleepily.

"Ah, and a good morning to you too, Horizongold101," replied the red Lupe.

"You know, you don't need to talk like that with us," the yellow Lupe told him. "We're your brothers. You can talk normally."

Crusherwhite smiled. "I know, but I'm so excited! Ever since Carnax489 told me he had a surprise for me, I've been too excited to think straight!" he said enthusiastically.

Horizongold101 grinned back. "I guess you're right. He hasn't even told me or the other two what it is. He may be our owner, but he's still rather sneaky," he said, with a hint of curiosity.

With a slight yawn, the other two Lupes woke up and crept over to them. The blue one placed his paws over Crusherwhite's eyes and yelled "Surprise!"

Crusherwhite removed the paws and said reproachfully, "Lupussilver, how many times have I asked you not to do that?" The blue Lupe looked down, an expression of sadness on his face.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist," he told Crusherwhite.

"He's coming!" said the green Lupe. Sure enough, Carnax489 had awoken and was now walking towards them.

"Good morning, everyone," he said in a cheery tone. The green Lupe had already got out of his seat to let his owner sit down. "Now Sharkgrey, I don't need to sit down," he said firmly. The green Lupe nodded and sat back down. "I have a surprise for you, Crusherwhite. Zorbak! Basilius! Frosty! Scruffy! Bring it out!" he called. Four petpets emerged nervously and excitedly from behind the Sledding Trophy, holding a box wrapped up in gold wrapping paper. They placed it in front of Crusherwhite, and then scuttled back to their owners. Zorbak the Plushie Warf leapt onto Crusherwhite's shoulder. Basilius the Cobrall slithered up Sharkgrey's leg and into his lap. Scruffy the Puppyblew and Frosty the Snicklebeast climbed up to Lupussilver and Horizongold101 respectively. "Open it, then!" Carnax489 prompted. Crusherwhite nodded and tore the paper away. He opened the box and saw…a White Paintbrush.

"Wow! Thanks!" he said happily, flinging himself into his owner's arms.

"Okay, take it easy!" Carnax489 laughed. "We'll get you painted right after breakfast." He placed four plates on the low table, each one holding a thick slice of Sausage Omelette. "Eat up," he told them. The four Lupes happily ate their breakfast. Afterwards, they prepared to go out. "I'll be back in a minute," Carnax489 told them. He made sure they weren't looking, and then he opened the passageway to Crusherwhite's room. He went through to the room and unrolled an Altador Rug on the floor. "This'll make him even happier," he thought contentedly. He then returned to the main room. "Okay, let's go," he said to the Lupes. The Lupes cheered and raced out of the door.

They soon arrived at the edge of the Rainbow Pool, and bounded up to the water.

"Okay, let's get you painted!" Carnax489 called to Crusherwhite. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Chris, over here!" it said. They turned to see one of their best friends, Smileyhappy393. She had brought her four pets along to the Rainbow Pool as well: a blue Flotsam, a red Lenny, a yellow Lenny and a red Blumaroo.

"Oh, hi Smiley," Carnax489 said happily.

"Chris, please don't call me that," she asked, slightly annoyed.

"I already said I'm not calling you by your real name unless it is an emergency," he replied. The two Lennys had begun flying around Lupussilver and Horizongold101's heads, trying to peck at them.

"Loolooneo2, Loolootwo, stop that right now," she said sternly. They stopped and flew back.

"Sorry," they said. By then, Crusherwhite had already dived into the Rainbow Pool with the paintbrush in hand. After a while, he emerged from the water, his fur now a white colour instead of red.

"Wow, you look great!" said the Flotsam.

"Thank you, Flippyfloppy31," said Crusherwhite. "Now, how about we head to Faerieland?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, you have your training session at Krawk Island, remember?" Carnax489 told him.

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot due to the excitement!" he admitted, admiring his white fur.

"Do you want to come?" he asked Smiley and her pets.

"We'd love to come, right everyone?" she said to her pets. They all nodded happily, except for the red Blumaroo. "Tommo36neo, what's wrong?" she asked. The Blumaroo didn't say anything, but whimpered slightly. "I guess we can't come after all," she said. She picked up the Blumaroo and walked away, waving goodbye as the rest of her pets followed her.

"Come on, let's go home," Carnax489 said as he walked towards the house.

"But what about the training session?" Crusherwhite asked.

"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen…" Carnax489 replied. Knowing it was best to listen to their owner, the four Lupes followed him.

"Why does she call you Chris?" Sharkgrey asked. Carnax489 turned around.

"Because that's my real name," he said. "Crusherwhite, I don't want you to call me by that name unless it's very important." Crusherwhite nodded, knowing it was important to him.

Late that night, Crusherwhite slept restlessly. In his dreams, he was standing in Faerieland, only it looked completely different. The Rainbow Fountain and the Healing Springs had completely dried up. The Wheel of Excitement had shattered into a hundred pieces. The houses were encased in ice and the clouds were pitch black. Faerie Castle looked the same however. "What happened here?" he said.

"You should know," said a voice from behind him. He spun around to see a Lupe. At least, it looked like a Lupe - it was completely black, so he couldn't see the face.

"Who are you? And what do you mean, 'I should know'?" he asked.

"My name is of no importance to you, and you did this. You are cursed," said the Lupe. Crusherwhite just stared, taking a moment to register what he was told.

"Cursed?" he asked. The Lupe in front of him nodded. "What do you mean?" he asked, determined to find out.

"You are not yet meant to know," was the answer he received. "Now watch this scene," the Lupe told him. Suddenly, he was in Neopia Central. He saw a red Aisha walking along peacefully. Suddenly, a Lupe appeared in front of her. It pulled out something and pinned her to the ground. Crusherwhite couldn't make out what it was, but it must have been icy because the Aisha was frozen. He pulled out a dagger and cut his own paw.

"One down, two to go," he said, in a voice that was very familiar to Crusherwhite. He didn't have time to think about it, however, because he was soon awake, breathing heavily and sweating.

"Check the vase for a surprise…" said the voice of the shadow Lupe in his mind. He went over to the vases and placed his paw inside each one. He felt something inside one of them. He pulled it out, only to discover it was the same dagger from his dream. He felt a pain in his right paw. He looked at it and gasped in horror. The same cut that the Lupe had done to himself in the dream was also on his paw.

"What could this mean?" he asked himself. He knew this was a serious problem, but he couldn't worry his owner. "I'm just going to have to keep it a secret" he thought to himself as he returned to bed.


	3. Chapter 2: The problems of Faerieland

**Part 2 - The problems of Faerieland**

The next day came too quickly for Crusherwhite. He still felt so tired, possibly due to the lack of sleep he had after that nightmare. The words of that mysterious Lupe still rang in his ears.

"What did he mean by cursed?" he asked himself as he opened the passageway. He walked down the tunnel leading to the main room and continued to think about it. "What exactly will this curse do to me?" he thought. He opened the trap door and entered the room. Everyone else was already at the table, eating their breakfast, a bowl of Coco Neocrunch cereal.

"Well, well, well, the sleeping prince awakens" said Sharkgrey as he saw Crusherwhite. Apparently Carnax489 had told the others of the passageways because he wasn't asking about it.

"Oh, zip it, Sharkgrey!" Crusherwhite told him irritably as he sat at the table. Carnax489 was reading a copy of The Neopian Times and seemed pretty interested by something.

"I think you should listen to this," he said suddenly. "'Experts were baffled today by the mysterious changes that were reported in Faerieland. Black clouds, frozen buildings and other abnormalities have been reported and there have been no signs of any residents or Faeries. Even Queen Fyora has been reported missing.'" Crusherwhite automatically stopped eating and stared.

"Anything else unusual?" he asked. Carnax489 looked through the paper and stopped at another page.

"Today, a red Aisha was found mysteriously frozen in Neopia Central. This ice not only refused to break with every attempt made, but also repelled everything that was used against it," he read.

Crusherwhite suddenly dropped the spoon and ran out, slamming the trap door behind him. He lay on the Altador Rug in his room and said to himself: "It happened. Just like my dream, it happened." His thoughts were disturbed by the opening of the trapdoor. He spun around to see his owner enter the room.

"Is there a problem, Crusherwhite? If so, please tell me," he said politely. Crusherwhite was silent for a moment, and then threw himself into his owner's arms, crying a lot harder than he normally did.

"It's horrible, Chris!" he sobbed.

Carnax489 remained silent for a moment, then said, "Please explain what the problem is." Crusherwhite told him of the dream, the strange Lupe, Faerieland's condition and the frozen Aisha. Chris listened to Crusherwhite, then said, "I'm going to write a message. Wait here for me, okay?" Crusherwhite nodded. Chris walked over to the bed, pulled some paper and a pen out of his pocket and began to write:

'Sarah, we have a problem. Meet me at my place as soon as possible.'

Then he sealed up the letter and gave it to Crusherwhite. "Go to Smiley's place and give this to her. Then come straight back. Okay?" he asked. Crusherwhite nodded, taking the letter in his mouth and ran out of the house. A few moments, he returned, with Smiley and her pets.

"What's wrong, Chris?" she asked, a look of worry on her face. He told her exactly what Crusherwhite had said. She looked at him. "We should head to Faerieland," she said quietly. Chris nodded.

"I agree, Sarah. If we're ever going to discover why this happened, we'd better head to the source of the problem."

They were interrupted by Crusherwhite, who asked, "Exactly how do we get to Faerieland?" Sarah knelt down to the white Lupe.

"Loolooneo2 and Loolootwo can fly. They'll carry me, my pets, Chris, and your brothers to Faerieland" she said, gently stroking Crusherwhite.

"But what about me?" he yelped, wondering why he was left out.

Chris merely said, "You have the faerie ability 'Flight', don't you?" Crusherwhite had completely forgotten about his Flight skill.

"Oh yeah - I feel like an idiot," he said. Chris sighed.

"Don't worry, we all forget things sometimes. It's no big deal," he said reassuringly. Crusherwhite nodded and ran to the door.

"Okay then, let's get going."

They soon arrived in Faerieland, and gazed at the devastation that lay before them. "What in Neopia happened here?" Chris asked, shocked. Crusherwhite stepped forward.

"Everything looks exactly the same as it did in my dream," he stated grimly. He began to walk towards Faerie City. Chris ran after him.

"Wait up! Why are you going there? Shouldn't we try and sort this mess out first?" he asked. Crusherwhite shook his head.

"I never got to see what was inside Faerie City, or even the castle. I need to check," he said. Sarah's two Lennys flew up to him.

"They're coming with you. We'll sort out what we can here," Sarah called to him. With a slight nod, Crusherwhite continued to walk towards the Faerie City. He had brought all his Battledome equipment with him, just in case he needed it. As soon as he walked in, he saw something terrible. All of Faerie City's inhabitants were beginning to sink into the clouds. Crusherwhite placed his paw forward, only to have it slowly sink as well. Loolooneo2 grabbed Crusherwhite and managed to pull him out before he sank any further.

"Thank you. Now, let's free these people," Crusherwhite told them. With a silent nod, the two Lenny sisters began to fly around, pulling people out of the clouds and placing them on the rooftops. Crusherwhite began to leap between buildings, throwing the Purple Sticky Hand to the people to use as a rope. When someone managed to grab it, Crusherwhite would pull them out. Suddenly, a familiar scream came to Crusherwhite's ears and he immediately raced towards the source. A red Lupe was sinking into the clouds. Only her head was visible. Without thinking, Crusherwhite leapt into the clouds to rescue her. After much struggling, he finally managed to pull the Lupe to safety. The Lupe looked up at him.

"Thank you," she gasped gratefully. Crusherwhite lowered his head to her.

"Don't you recognise me, Lola?" he asked. At this, her eyes widened with shock.

"Crusherwhite?" she asked. He nodded and was immediately knocked down by her leaping at him for a hug.

"Yes, it's good to see you as well." He smiled. Chris and the others were walking into the city. The clouds seemed to have returned to normal, as Chris was stepping on them without sinking. Crusherwhite leapt down with Lola in tow, saying, "So I see the clouds are back to normal." Chris looked at Lola.

"Would you mind telling me who this is?" he asked. Crusherwhite realised he had never told Chris of Lola.

"This is Lolalupe41. I met her during my vacation to Terror Mountain, and we became friends very quickly," he said. Chris bowed to Lola.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lolalupe41," Chris said politely. Loa simply smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine. And just call me Lola," she told him. Chris nodded, and turned to face Crusherwhite. However, he wasn't next to Lola like he had been only a moment ago. He had begun to walk to Faerie Castle.

"Don't go any further!" said a voice from his side. Crusherwhite spun around to see Queen Fyora.

"Why not? What happened here?" he asked. Chris and the others caught up to him and noticed the Faerie Queen.

"I see you have friends with you. Maybe you can help us." She gazed at the others. Crusherwhite nodded, awaiting her problem. "As you have seen, Faerieland now lies in ruin due to a powerful dark energy. This dark energy has formed a barrier around the castle, trapping all the faeries inside. Without our magic, this place will soon fall into complete darkness," she said.

"That must be avoided at all cost," Crusherwhite told them.

Fyora nodded, saying, "You, on the other hand are able to enter, as the barrier only traps the faeries. Our magic has also been cancelled out inside the castle. You must find the source of this barrier and destroy it, or at least drive it away." Everyone gave a nod, meaning that they understood, and walked through the barrier into the Faerie Castle. As soon as they stepped inside, they could see many faeries, extremely weak, possibly due to the dark barrier.

"I'll track down the source of this energy - you guys try to help the faeries in any way possible," Crusherwhite told them. Everyone gave a nod and went to the faeries. Crusherwhite raced off through the castle, and Lola decided to go after Crusherwhite to make sure he was okay. Crusherwhite made sure to check every room for any possible sign of the energy source. Finally, he stood outside Queen Fyora's chambers. He opened the door a little and took a peek inside. He saw two glowing orbs of dark energy and a shadowy Lupe. He ran in and raised his Bone Sceptre, ready to strike. As soon as he made contact, the Lupe disappeared.

"So, how do you like your curse so far?" said the voice from his dreams. He looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice.

"Why are you doing this?" he yelled, determined to get answers. A cold laugh rang through the air.

"You won't get any answers that way. Oh look, an unwelcome guest!" said the voice. Crusherwhite turned to the door and saw Lola. The shadowy figure appeared again, but this time it was running towards Lola.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Crusherwhite yelled as he attacked the shadow. It disappeared again, and the voice told him: "I will see you again soon." He looked around, trying to find the shadow and the voice.

"Umm, exactly what were you attacking?" Lola asked, nonplussed. Crusherwhite walked towards the orbs, shattering the first one with his Bone Sceptre.

"The figure that appeared in my dream was in here. He tried to attack you. It seems that only I can see him," explained Crusherwhite. He moved towards the second orb. Thunder wrapped around his tail and he struck the orb, shattering it. At once, the dark energy disappeared and the barrier was lifted. "Come on, we'd better get back," he said, walking back towards the entrance. Lola followed closely behind.

"Can you explain the dream to me?" she asked. Crusherwhite let out a sigh.

"Later," he told her. Back at the entrance, Queen Fyora was waiting along with Chris and the others.

"What was the source?" Chris asked. Lola was about to tell them, but Crusherwhite intervened.

"Two dark energy orbs, and the Lupe from the dream" he told them. Queen Fyora seemed to know something about it, because she had already asked Chris and the others if she could speak to Crusherwhite in private. Chris had given a nod and a bow, and soon left as promised. The others followed Chris, not wanting to disrespect Fyora's wishes.

Lola left Crusherwhite's side, saying "See you in a minute," before walking out of the door.

"Now Crusherwhite, last night, did you have a nightmare of these events?" she asked in a serious, yet pleasant tone. Crusherwhite felt so nervous that he could only give a nod. Why did she want to know? "Crusherwhite, you have become the victim of an ancient and powerful curse. This curse has only affected a few unlucky Neopets, but has nearly brought about the devastation of all Neopia," she told him gravely. Immediately, Crusherwhite was scared. "During the night, the victim suffers nightmares of events that will happen in the near future. Unbeknown to them, their bodies are causing these catastrophes while they sleep," she continued. At this point, Crusherwhite had to say something.

"You mean I caused this to happen to Faerieland?" he asked fearfully. Queen Fyora nodded.

"We know it wasn't your fault, but nevertheless your body cursed our fair city," she said. Crusherwhite felt ashamed.

"I'll take my leave now," he told her sadly, walking towards the door. Queen Fyora called out to him.

"It wasn't your fault, so you have no reason to apologise. Don't worry, we can restore Faerieland," she told him. Crusherwhite didn't reply, but he gave a silent acknowledgement before walking out of the door.

"So, what did she say?" asked Horizongold101.

Lola whacked him around the back of the head and said, "Look at him! He's clearly not in the mood to answer questions."

Crusherwhite walked towards the edge of Faerieland and called "Let's just go home," before using Flight to leave. His brothers merely looked at each other, exchanging confused looks before diving off the clouds. Chris sighed.

"Something's bothering him. And I doubt he'll tell me what it is," he said sadly. Lola stepped forward.

"Mind if I stay with you for a while? I might be able to find out the problem," she offered. Chris nodded.

"We'd be happy to have you with us" he said, cheering up a little.

Lola ran to the edge of Faerieland, yelling "Hurry up. I'm gonna leave you behind!" before leaping off after the others. Chris smiled and turned to Sarah.

"Come on, let's go," he said. Sarah nodded.

"Okay then. Let's jump!" she replied with a smile as she leapt off with her Flotsam. Her two Lennys picked up Tommo36neo and flew off.

"Why am I always getting left behind when she's around?" Chris asked himself as he jumped.

Chris said goodbye to Sarah and her pets at the Rainbow Pool, then returned home with his pets and Lola.

"Well, that was quite an adventure today; let's just hope it's the last one in a while. Lola, you can sleep with Crusherwhite. Use the Altador Rug," he said as he sat down in the chair, the other three Lupes curling up with him. Smiling, Crusherwhite opened the secret passageway and went back to his room. Lola followed him, admiring the passage.

"Well, here we are," he said when they arrived. Lola had ran straight to the Altador Rug and curled up on it, yawning and falling asleep. Crusherwhite sighed as he got into bed. "What did he mean? He was being so obscure when he talked about the curse. Clearly there's something he doesn't want me knowing. But what?" he asked himself as he fell asleep.

That night, Crusherwhite had another dream. He stood in Altador. This city had also changed dramatically. The ocean was a sea of flames, the farms were spewing out toxic gas, and most of the buildings had been frozen, just like in Faerieland. The Hall of Heroes and the Altadorian Archives were unchanged, just like the Faerie Castle.

"I know you're here, so come out!" Crusherwhite yelled. The shadow Lupe from before appeared in front of him.

"Well, you're smarter than I thought. I was half expecting you to ask what happened here," the Lupe told him in its regular tone of voice. Crusherwhite glared at him.

"I know the curse is making my body do this. What I want to know is why!" he said. The Lupe shook its head.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Now, watch!" it said. Neopia Central came into focus again. A green Kougra was sniffing next to the frozen Aisha. At this moment, the Lupe attacked again. Crusherwhite once again watched as the Lupe froze the Kougra with the same method as with the Aisha.

The Lupe then pulled out the dagger and dragged it across his left paw, saying, "Only one more. The dark era shall soon begin." At this, Crusherwhite awoke and noticed that Lola was next to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Crusherwhite looked at his left paw. Just like last time, the cut was there too. Lola took a look at his paw. "You know, this reminds me of something I heard about a shadow Lupe," she told him. "However, I'm not entirely sure if it's relevant." Crusherwhite wanted to hear more, but Lola shook her head. "I'll tell you tomorrow. Now get some sleep," she said. Crusherwhite nodded, and tried to go back to bed. Lola walked back over to the rug and fell asleep again. Crusherwhite stayed awake.

"He said I wouldn't understand even if he told me," he said to himself, assuming the shadow Lupe was a boy. "What did he mean? And why did that voice sound so familiar? Could it have been me?" These questions plagued him all night. "I hope more will be revealed tomorrow," he thought.


	4. Chapter 3: Altadorian Shadow Battle

**Part 3 - Altadorian Shadow Battle**

Next morning, Lola gently arose from her sleep. She noticed that Crusherwhite wasn't in bed.

"Crusherwhite, where are you?" she called. She took a look around the room and noticed the passageway was open. "Maybe he went to the main room," she thought as she entered. It was then she realised that she was so busy admiring the tunnels, she hadn't paid any attention to the route he had taken yesterday. With a sigh, she walked through the tunnels, hoping to find him. After passing the same carving for the fifth time, she began to lose hope. Suddenly, she heard noises nearby. It sounded like someone was fighting. Rushing towards the source, she soon came across a door she hadn't noticed earlier. She opened the door and was greeted by an amazing sight. A huge Battledome arena, the likes of which she had never seen before, was right in front of her, and in the centre of this room stood Crusherwhite. Lola stepped inside and walked over to him. "Where are we?" she asked with amazement. Crusherwhite turned to look at her.

"When my owner first had this place built, we discovered this network of underground tunnels. One day, as I explored these pathways and mapped them out, I came across this place. I use it every now and again to train or relax," he explained, letting out a small sigh. "Not even Chris knows of this place, so please don't tell anyone." Lola gave a nod and looked around.

"Do you think you could explain everything to me?" she asked him. Crusherwhite fell silent for a moment.

"I'll understand if you don't want to," she told him, knowing it was seriously upsetting him. Crusherwhite nodded.

"You deserve to know everything I know," he told her. He went into a detailed explanation of everything he knew. The dreams, the mysterious Lupe, the curse, the events in Faerieland, the freezing of the Aisha and Kougra and all that Queen Fyora told him.

"So, the curse made you cause the events in Faerieland?" she asked, not entirely sure she understood. Crusherwhite nodded.

"Yes, while the dream showed me what I had done," he said. Lola began to walk towards the door. "Wait, can you tell me about the shadow Lupe you talked about?" he asked. Lola turned around to face him.

"I'll tell you what I know. Long ago, a shadow Lupe tried to take over Neopia. In the end, he was challenged by a brave white Lupe. However, in the last moments of the battle, he placed a curse on this Lupe and all who belonged to the same bloodline as him. The shadow Lupe disappeared, but where he disappeared to, nobody knows. The shadow Lupe's name was SoulGunBlack" she explained. Crusherwhite seemed lost in thought at these words. "Umm, are you in there?" she asked, waving her paw in front of him.

Crusherwhite looked at Lola and said "Sorry, I was just thinking." Lola sighed and turned to the door. She didn't like it when Crusherwhite did this.

"Well, we'd better get to Chris and the others. They'll probably want to know about the second dream," she said. Crusherwhite gave a slight nod and began to follow her. Soon they arrived in the main room. Chris and the others, including Sarah and her pets, were waiting.

"So, did you have another dream?" Chris asked. Crusherwhite nodded and told them of all the events in the dream, including the green Kougra. "So, Altador was the new target. The question is, why go to such lengths to curse these places, and why it has to be these specific locations?" Chris said as he thought about it. Crusherwhite looked down at the floor sadly.

"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault," Lola told him. Lola walked over to Chris and whispered something to him. Chris gave a silent nod, and walked over to Crusherwhite.

"Crusherwhite, Queen Fyora didn't blame you for the events in Faerieland, and I'm sure King Altador won't blame you for it either," he said, trying to make Crusherwhite feel better. Crusherwhite looked up and gently licked Chris' cheek.

"Thanks. Now we'd better get going," Crusherwhite said confidently, racing out of the door. Chris nodded, and ran after him.

"We'd better get going too," Lola told the others as she gave chase. The others looked at each other, then ran after Lola.

After arriving at Altador, they took a few moments to observe what had happened.

"This is unusual. Why don't the eleven Heroes do anything to help?" Chris asked in confusion. Crusherwhite had already gone over to the Hall of Heroes to have a look around. He soon came back.

"There don't seem to be any barriers stopping them from getting out. But I did hear the sound of fighting from inside," Crusherwhite told them.

"Okay. Crusherwhite, you take Lola and go to the Hall. We'll help the citizens here," Chris told him. Crusherwhite looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Lola, let's go," he said, taking Lola's paw. He used his Flight skill to get them there quicker. Inside, Crusherwhite and Lola were exposed to a very unusual sight. The eleven Heroes were fighting, but it looked as though they were fighting themselves.

"Huh? How can they be fighting themselves?" Lola asked.

Crusherwhite took a moment to observe, and then said, "They're fighting their own shadows, only they seem to be more physical than they should be." Altador attacked, and the shadow blocked it with the sword it held. "A normal shadow wouldn't be able to block an attack. It would just go straight through," he said. Altador was knocked back against the wall, now weakened. The shadow prepared its bow and aimed straight at him. As it fired the arrows, Crusherwhite leapt in the way and held out his Leaf Shield, blocking the attack. "Time for you to go back!" Crusherwhite yelled as he fired a stream of acid from his Scarab Ring. The acid struck the shadow, making it disappear. "Now for the others," Crusherwhite said excitedly. Thunder wrapped around his tail again and he leapt at the shadow of Siyana. The shadow Siyana tried to attack him, but he was too fast. She disappeared as soon she was hit, just like Altador. Crusherwhite then defeated the other shadows. Soon, there was only one left, and that was the shadow of Marak. "You want to take this one, Lola?" he asked, throwing her the Bone Sceptre. Lola caught it and leapt at the shadow of Marak, striking it and making it disappear. She handed the Bone Sceptre back to Crusherwhite.

"We thank you for your assistance," Altador told them both, bowing in appreciation. Crusherwhite merely smiled and told him, "No need to thank us. We're just here to do some important research. Besides, I needed to loosen up a little; I haven't been in a proper fight for ages." Lola laughed a little.

"You're so confident in yourself. Just like always," she said. Jerdana stepped forward.

"You said you came to do some research. Would you care to explain?" she asked. Crusherwhite hesitated for a moment, and then explained the purpose of their visit. Altador nodded.

"I see. An ancient curse was the cause of this problem," he said. Crusherwhite nodded sadly and walked towards the door.

"It's time we learned more," he said as he left. Lola gave a bow before chasing after him. At the archives, the others were waiting for him.

"The Archivist gave us permission to enter. Now we'll find the answers we seek," Chris told them as he stepped through the door. After an hour of searching, they found a book titled "The curse of SoulGunBlack." Chris opened it and began to look through.

"This looks interesting. 'SoulGunBlack once tried to take over Neopia but was defeated by a white Lupe. In the final moments, he cursed the Lupe and his bloodline before disappearing. The curse would allow SoulGunBlack to take over the afflicted pet in their sleep and cause terrible events in three places. In ancient times, three powerful dark circles called Focal Points existed. The combined energies of all three would awaken a great power that would allow the wielder to dominate Neopia. In response to this, three Neopets known as the Focal Guardians sealed the magic away. In time, cities were built over them. These cities were Altador, Faerieland and Shenkuu. In order to reactivate them, the lands must be infected with dark energy and the Focal Guardians must be frozen,'" he read. Crusherwhite thought long and hard over this. Suddenly, everything made sense. SoulGunBlack was using him to unlock the great power.

"I must be one of the ancient bloodline," Crusherwhite told them. Lola looked at him, understanding.

"Of course - you're suffering from SoulGunBlack's curse. It's the only explanation," she said. Chris still was unsure about one detail.

"None of the Focal Guardians have been frozen, though. He _can't_ be suffering from this curse," he argued. Crusherwhite walked over to Chris.

"The Aisha and the Kougra must have been two of them," he said. Sarah walked over to Lola and stroked her gently.

"Let's go now. We have to come up with a plan to stop him," she said. Everyone gave a nod of approval and left.

Back at Chris' house, they all sat in a circle.

"So, how will we stop SoulGunBlack?" Chris asked. Crusherwhite put up his paw.

"The first question would be how we find him," he said. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"That's true - it would be hard to defeat him if we don't know where he is," Sarah stated. Chris sighed.

"So we have no way of finding him. I guess we'll just have to wait," he told them all. "In the meantime, we'll get some rest." The four Lupes yawned slightly. Lola watched them.

"He has such a kind family," she thought to herself. Chris looked at Sarah.

"It might be an idea if you stayed with us tonight," he said. Sarah gave a nod.

"That would be great. Right everyone?" she asked. All four of her pets gave happy nods. Lupussilver, Horizongold101 and Sharkgrey had already fallen asleep while Crusherwhite and Lola had departed for his room. Chris and Sarah walked over to them. Chris sat in the chair and went to sleep while Sarah and her pets lay on the floor.

Crusherwhite began to stir at midnight. Now he found himself in Shenkuu -but nothing seemed wrong with it.

"Maybe the curse hasn't affected this place," he said gladly.

"Keep dreaming. It has affected this land, but in a different way," said the familiar voice. Crusherwhite turned to see the Lupe.

"No more hiding in the shadows. I know who you are, SoulGunBlack," he said angrily. The Lupe began to take a more physical form. He looked just like Crusherwhite, only black.

"So you now know everything. I knew I should have made you freeze the archives," he said. Crusherwhite began to grow angry, thunder wrapping around his tail once more.

"Why are you making me do these things!?" he roared as he attacked. SoulGunBlack easily dodged the attack.

"I hate your bloodline. Your ancestor defeated me in the last battle and I swore I would have revenge. Now I'm taking the opportunity," he told Crusherwhite. "I guess it's time for one last scene in the central." At these words, Shenkuu disappeared and Neopia Central replaced it. A yellow Shoyru was standing next to the two frozen pets.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm not frozen, he will not succeed," he told them. Crusherwhite watched.

"This must be the last Focal Guardian. All I have to do is stop myself from freezing him," he thought. Sure enough, SoulGunBlack emerged from the bushes in Crusherwhite's body.

"Time to say goodbye," he said. Crusherwhite immediately ran towards SoulGunBlack and tried to attack, but he passed right through. He saw flashes of SoulGunBlack's past as the Shoyru was frozen. SoulGunBlack pulled the dagger out once more and dragged it across his chest, slightly cutting it. "Good. Now it begins," he said. Crusherwhite woke up once more and noticed the cut. Lola was right next to him.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," she said, trying to make him feel better.

Crusherwhite sighed and said, "I very much doubt it. I couldn't stop him. The last one has been frozen." Lola went back over to the rug.

"We'll worry about what will happen next when the time comes. Until then, rest," she told him. Crusherwhite nodded.

"Why was there nothing wrong with Shenkuu?" he thought as he went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4: A Scaly Situation

**Part 4 - A Scaly Situation**

Crusherwhite awoke with a jolt. He felt something sharp poking into him. He got out of bed and looked at it. "Just a bit of straw," he thought, relieved. He looked out of the window. It was still rather dark outside. "It must be really early," he said to himself as he opened the passageway. He had decided to show Chris the arena he had found. He came out in the main room and made his way over to Chris, tapping him gently on the shoulder and gently waking him up.

"Crusherwhite, it's still early. Go back to bed," he told the white Lupe sleepily. Crusherwhite shook his head.

"There's something I need to show you," he told Chris. He made his way to the passage again, waiting. Chris pulled himself out of the chair and followed, still confused as to why Crusherwhite had awoke him so early. Within a few moments, they had arrived at the door. Crusherwhite pushed it open and walked in, saying to Chris, "Come on." Chris was shocked as he saw the huge Battledome arena.

"Wow! Exactly how long has this been here?" he asked. Crusherwhite walked over to the centre of the arena and pushed a button hidden in the floor. Three targets appeared behind him. Crusherwhite span around and hit them with the Scarab Ring, the acid melting them.

"I found this place when we first found the passages," he said. Chris nodded in awe, admiring the room he stood in.

"How about, after we sort out this whole curse ordeal, we get some proper training equipment installed?" Chris offered. Crusherwhite smiled.

"That would be great; thanks Chris!" he said, leaping into his arms. Chris smiled as he stroked Crusherwhite gently.

"Let's go back up. Everyone will probably want to hear about the next dream," he said to the Lupe. Crusherwhite raced to the door. Chris sighed as he thought about what had been happening recently. "How much further will SoulGunBlack go to keep us from stopping him?" he thought as he made his way back to the main room, Crusherwhite at his side. They came up from the passageway, noticing that everyone was awake and waiting for them, knowing what had happened. Crusherwhite stepped forward.

"In my dream, I stood in Shenkuu. It seemed completely normal. I tried to fight SoulGunBlack there. I also saw myself freezing the last Focal Guardian," Crusherwhite told them sadly. Chris knelt down next to him.

"It's okay. You didn't mean for it to happen. Even with the three guardians gone, we'll do everything we can to stop him," he said. Crusherwhite nodded, his hope restored a little by Chris' words.

"There's only one problem left. If we don't know what we have to stop, how will we stop it?" Lola asked. Crusherwhite walked towards her and patted her on the shoulder.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he told her. "So off we go." He ran to the door, eagerly awaiting the others. They set off for Shenkuu.

When they arrived, they took a moment to observe the city.

"So far, it looks perfectly okay," Chris said. Crusherwhite stood on one of the bridges, looking down underneath him. Lola walked over to him and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Tell me what's on your mind," she said, trying to relax him. Crusherwhite sighed.

"SoulGunBlack said that the curse had affected Shenkuu, but in a different way. He didn't tell me in what way it had been affected, though," he told her sadly. Lola smiled.

"Don't worry. We'll stop it, no matter what form it takes," she told him confidently. Crusherwhite suddenly noticed something coming in the distance.

"Get back!" he yelled, pushing Lola to safe ground just as the bridge was smashed by a huge tail. As he fell, he grabbed the tail. The tail lifted him up, and he found himself staring into the eye of a huge Cobrall. The overgrown petpet threw Crusherwhite away, only for him to be caught by Lola.

"You okay?" she asked. She stared at the huge creature. "How could a Cobrall get so big?"

"I don't know, but we have to stop it!" Crusherwhite said, preparing himself for battle. He fired a Water Jet attack at the creature to get its attention. The Cobrall tried to crush him but he flipped onto the tail as it smashed into the ground. He ran along the creature's body, firing acid from the Scarab Ring all the way. The Cobrall let out a screech as the acid began to eat away at it. Crusherwhite was now on its head and he opened his Illusens Earth Potion and aimed straight down. A powerful magic blast smashed into the Cobrall, causing it to fall. Crusherwhite leapt back onto safe ground as the creature fell. "Well, that was interesting," Crusherwhite said happily. Chris smiled.

"That's my Crusherwhite - so calm and confident," he said proudly. He walked over and stroked the Lupe gently. Lola stepped forward.

"How exactly will we repair the damage to the bridge?" she asked, looking at the destroyed remains.

"We can't. We'll just have to rely on the citizens here to do it," Crusherwhite told them as he walked away.

"Is it just me, or does he seem a little strange to you?" Lola asked Chris as she watched him. Chris just shook his head.

"He hasn't had a lot of sleep lately. I suggest we just let him be for now," Chris said. They returned home.

Back at Chris' home, they sat in a circle again.

"So, does anyone have any ideas for our next move?" Chris asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Until we find a way to pinpoint SoulGunBlack's location, we're stuck," Chris said glumly. Sarah raised her hand.

"Maybe the locations affected by the curse will give us some clue as to his whereabouts," she suggested.

"That's a good suggestion, Sarah. The only place I think is likely is Darigan Citadel. "However, SoulGunBlack would never be able to get there due to all the guards," Chris said. Crusherwhite shook his head.

"I can't think straight. I'm going to bed," he said with a yawn as he opened the passage again.

"I think I'll get an early night as well," Lola told them as she followed Crusherwhite. Chris let out a sigh.

"Well, I guess we'd all better get an early night," he suggested, going to the chair. Everyone nodded and within a few short moments, they had all fallen asleep.

Crusherwhite had another nightmare that night. This time, he was standing in a strange place, darkness completely surrounding him. "What's going on?" he asked himself.

"I have to show you the truth of what will happen if you stay with them any longer," SoulGunBlack told him. Chris appeared in front of Crusherwhite and was looking at him in disappointment.

"Crusherwhite, you are a disgrace to me. Leave and never return," he said as he disappeared from Crusherwhite's view.

Lupussilver then appeared to him and said "You disgust me. To think I looked up to you!" Crusherwhite was confused. Why were they saying these things to him?

The rest of his friends soon appeared one after the other, saying things like: "You are a pathetic excuse for a Neopet," and "Why did I ever like you in the first place?" Crusherwhite was trying his hardest to keep back his tears, but they came through despite him.

"You can escape this fate. All you must do is run away. Leave them and start a new life," SoulGunBlack told him. Crusherwhite awoke and looked at Lola. She was still fast asleep, so he crept over to his desk and pulled out all his Battledome equipment. He noticed the necklace that Lola had given to him. He threw it to the ground and wrote a small letter before climbing out of the window. "Go to the place they would least expect you to," the voice of SoulGunBlack told him. With one final look at his home, he turned and ran as fast as he could towards the Haunted Woods, tears streaming down his face as he ran. He knew he would never see them again, and he also knew that they wouldn't care about his disappearance. He vowed he would never return again.


	6. Chapter 5: Rescue Mission

**Part 5 - Rescue Mission**

The next day, Lola woke up quickly to tell Crusherwhite today was the day he would be free. However, she noticed that the window was open and he wasn't in bed. Lola had a horrible feeling that something had attacked him in the night, but then she noticed the letter. She grabbed it and placed it on the desk, and then she began to read out loud.

"To my friends and family. By now I have run away and begun a new life elsewhere. Don't bother to come looking for me. You probably hate me so much that you wouldn't bother trying to anyway. I don't know what I did to deserve your hatred and loathing, and I will never know, so just move on with your lives. Yours sincerely, Crusherwhite." Lola just stood in complete shock. "Why would he write something like this?" she asked herself, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. She immediately ran to the main room to tell the others. By the time she had reached her destination, Chris and the others were waiting.

"Where's Crusherwhite?" Chris asked. Lola silently handed him the letter. He read and tears began to fill his eyes too. "No, he can't be gone. He just can't be!" Chris screamed, bursting into tears. Everyone else took a look at the letter and just stared, blankly.

"Why does he think that we hate him?" Sarah asked sadly. Crusherwhite's brothers were in the corner, crying for him.

"It has to be the work of SoulGunBlack!" Lola exclaimed. "He must have sent Crusherwhite a nightmare showing him these lies, knowing that he would believe it would come true." Chris was crying harder than he had ever done in his entire life. "I'm going to find him," Lola told them. She began to walk away, but could feel someone grabbing her back legs. She turned to see Chris desperately staring at her.

"Please take me with you!" he begged her. Sarah pulled his arms away and shook her head.

"You're in no condition to go out anywhere," she said to him sternly. Lola made her way to the passage.

"Take care of him and the others while I'm gone," she told Sarah. She nodded slightly and noticed that Zorbak had leapt onto Lola's shoulder. "So, you want to come too?" Lola asked. Zorbak nodded, as if to say "yes." Lola made her way back to Crusherwhite's room and noticed the necklace. "Perfect. Now I can prove to Crusherwhite that I still like him," she thought as she picked it up. She brushed some fur aside to reveal another necklace, with a pendant that had been split in half. She took a quick glance at the other half of the pendant that hung from Crusherwhite's necklace. She hung it around her neck and went back to the main room. "Now if I know SoulGunBlack, he would probably tell Crusherwhite to go to the place we would least expect him to. Which means the Haunted Woods is our first stop," Lola thought, knowing that Crusherwhite hated that place more than anywhere else. She stepped out of the house and immediately raced towards the Haunted Woods.

Lola soon arrived. She took a moment to survey her surroundings. "He must be here. He hates this place," Lola thought. She began to explore, searching for her friend. After about an hour, she fell to her knees. "It's hopeless. He's gone," she thought. Suddenly, she heard crying from her side. She turned to that direction and noticed Crusherwhite, his face turned towards a tree. "Crusherwhite, please listen to me," she begged. Crusherwhite shook his head, not bothering to turn around.

"Why should I? You hate me enough as it is," he told her, anger and sadness in his voice. Lola could feel tears coming so she kept them back as best as she could.

"Crusherwhite, that dream you had was a lie, and I can prove it," she told him. She took the two necklaces off and held them in front of her. "Remember that day we met? I gave you this necklace and told you that should you ever doubt our friendship, simply place the two halves together." Crusherwhite turned to face her. She placed the two halves together and the pendant gave off a brilliant white light. "See? We're still friends," she told him. Crusherwhite leapt at her and hugged her as hard as he could.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't think that the dream was a lie! I thought it would come true!" he cried. Lola smiled, tears of happiness running down her face.

"It's okay. But we need to get you home. Everyone else is so worried about you," she told him. Crusherwhite gave a nod and let go of Lola. "Before we do though, I need to give you something. It's in Terror Mountain," she said. Crusherwhite smiled.

"Okay. Let's get going then," he said. Lola quickly hung his necklace around his neck and hung her one around hers. Then they set off.

At Terror Mountain, Lola led Crusherwhite to the spot where they first met. She then began to dig in the snow. Soon, she pulled out another pendant. "This pendant can prevent its holder from having nightmares," she said, giving it to him. Crusherwhite nodded, and gave it to Zorbak for safekeeping, who was now on his shoulder again. "Come on, we'd better get back," she told him. They returned to the house.

Sarah watched Chris helplessly as he continued to cry, huddled in the corner. "I don't think he's improving," she said. Tommo36neo was standing next to her.

"I just hope he actually eats or drinks something. He's been like this for five hours straight," said the red Blumaroo. A knock on the door diverted Sarah's attention. She quickly turned to her pets.

"Keep an eye on them while I get the door," she told them. They all gave a nod and went over to Chris and the remaining three Lupes. Sarah went to the door and opened it. Outside stood Lola and Crusherwhite, Zorbak perched on the white Lupes head. Sarah smiled as she saw Crusherwhite and led them inside. Zorbak leapt off of Crusherwhite and ran over to Chris, tapping him. Chris turned and saw his beloved pet. He smiled broadly and ran straight to Crusherwhite, hugging him as hard as he could. "Oh thank Fyora you're safe! I've been so worried about you," he told the white Lupe. Crusherwhite felt so happy being reunited with his owner.

"I'm so sorry Chris. I was deceived," he said. Chris smiled and stroked Crusherwhite.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologise," he said, still in tears. His brothers had all been awoken by the noise and ran to Crusherwhite. Everyone began to hug him because they were so happy he was back. "Come on; let's get you something to eat. You must be starving," Chris said as he released Crusherwhite from the hug.

"I'm more worried about you, in all honesty. I heard Tommo36neo saying you hadn't eaten or drunk anything for five hours," he said with a laugh. Chris smiled and began to prepare everyone's dinner.

"Omelette is all I really have; I'm sorry if it's a problem," he said to everyone.

"That's okay, we all like omelette," Sarah told him as they began to eat. Crusherwhite smiled all the way through dinner, happy to be back with his family and friends. After they had eaten, they prepared for bed.

"Get lots of rest. Tomorrow is the day we stop SoulGunBlack," Chris said happily. All of Sarah's pets and Crusherwhite's brothers nodded and curled up by the fire. Chris and Sarah lay next to their pets and fell asleep. Crusherwhite and Lola went to his room.

"Thanks for letting me stay for so long," Lola told him. Crusherwhite smiled at her.

"You can stay as long and as often as you like. You've done so much for me, it's the least I can do for you," he said, wondering if Lola would stay forever.

"After we win tomorrow, I'll have to leave. I don't want to intrude on your family too long," she said, as she fell asleep. Crusherwhite nodded, and fell asleep in his bed. He wasn't plagued by nightmares this time, thanks to the pendant resting on his paw. Zorbak had returned it to him just before they went to bed. "Tomorrow, it will all be over. Tomorrow, I will have my revenge," he thought, as he slept.


	7. Chapter 6: The Final Showdown

**Part 6 - The Final Showdown**

Crusherwhite awoke next morning feeling happy and refreshed. He took a quick glance at the pendant which lay on the floor. "Thanks, Lola," he thought as he got out of bed. He picked the pendant up and hung it from the necklace, along with his half of their friendship charm. He opened the passage and took one final look at his room. "I might not see this place ever again, but I'll know that I gave it my best shot," he told himself as he made his way to the main room. He made his way through the passageway and began to think about how to fight SoulGunBlack. "It'll be hard to fight if I don't know what he can do. I guess we'll worry about it when the time comes," he said calmly. He emerged in the main room where everyone else was waiting.

"Did you have any nightmares last night?" Chris asked out of worry. He thought that SoulGunBlack had sent him another dream of them hating Crusherwhite. Crusherwhite shook his head.

"No. For once I actually had a proper sleep without any nightmares," he said happily. Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well that's good news. Another thing I'm worried about is those cuts on you," he said, only just noticing the three cuts. Crusherwhite forgot that he never explained the cuts to his owner. And so, he went into an explanation of how they had arrived there. Chris nodded. "I see. So SoulGunBlack did that while he was in control of your body. The dagger used also appeared in your room. The cuts must be protected by some form of magic, otherwise blood would be leaking by now," he said, pondering their method of finding SoulGunBlack. Lola waited patiently at the door.

"Well, let's go then," she said. "We have to find the great power as described in that book." And without another word, she bolted out of the house. Crusherwhite sighed.

"Come on. Let's finish this ordeal," he said, following them. Chris, Sarah and their pets all gave a nod as they followed Crusherwhite, ready to face SoulGunBlack.

On the outskirts of Neopia Central, between Faerieland, Altador and Shenkuu, Chris and the others began to search for any clues.

"Knowing my luck, we won't find anything," Chris said glumly. Crusherwhite walked over to him and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find something. We just have to," he said, trying to cheer Chris up. His three brothers were running towards them.

"We found a strange door in some weird rock," Horizongold101 said.

"Follow us," said Lupussilver. And with that, they ran off. Crusherwhite and Chris ran after them, hoping that was what they were looking for. Within moments, they had arrived. Three dark energy beams were connected to a large rock, and the rock had a purple door on it.

"The beams seem to be coming from the Focal Points," Sharkgrey said, pointing towards the clouds that held Faerieland. Sure enough, one of the beams was coming from Faerieland. "So this must be the pathway to the great power." He began to push against the door. It wouldn't budge. "Could I have a hand here?" he asked. Lupussilver and Horizongold101 nodded and walked over. They then began to push as well. It still wasn't moving. Now Lola and Sarah were pushing the door with all their strength. Soon, all of Sarah's pets were helping. It still wouldn't move an inch. Crusherwhite merely walked over to it and grabbed the handle. He pulled and the door swung open easily.

"I hate it when you do that," Horizongold101 told him. Everyone then walked into the doorway. Within a few minutes, they arrived in what looked like a prison.

"Is this Darigan Citadel?" Crusherwhite asked, looking around. Chris took in the surroundings.

"It looks like it, but nobody's moving," he said. Sure enough, all of the prisoners and everyone else in the prison were completely frozen, as if time had stopped completely. Chris moved forward slightly, knowing that he and his friends were unaffected. "How did this happen?" he asked.

"That would be my doing," said a cold voice. Chris turned in that direction and saw a shadow Lupe. Crusherwhite immediately recognised it.

"SoulGunBlack! What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. The shadow Lupe merely smiled.

"The great power rests here. It is my key to dominating this pathetic world," he said with an evil laugh. Chris stepped forward.

"So you're the one who been causing my Crusherwhite so much misery. We're going to stop you," Chris scowled. SoulGunBlack merely smiled and shook his head.

"I'm afraid this invitation is extended only to Crusherwhite. The rest of you must leave," he said. Sarah stepped forward to stand by Crusherwhite's side.

"You brought misery to my friends. I'm afraid that makes it my business to be here as well," she told the shadow Lupe, her voice filled with anger. All of the other pets stepped forward and gave a nod. SoulGunBlack looked at them for a moment and then focused on Crusherwhite.

"You don't need these people. They'll only hold you back. Friendship brings weakness," he said coldly. Crusherwhite just laughed at this.

"That's because you've never had a friend in your entire life. However, I know the truth about you. I know how you truly feel inside," he said calmly. At these words, SoulGunBlack reacted in a very strange way.

"We'll see just how far your friendship carries you then. I'll await you in Lord Darigan's throne room," he said before disappearing, two animated suits of armour now blocking their path. Crusherwhite merely smiled. He pulled out his Bone Sceptre and leapt at them. His attack was too quick to see but by the time he landed, the armour had fallen to pieces.

"Let's get going," he called to the others. They gave a nod and all ran towards the castle. There were plenty of attacks on the way by strange creatures, but together, Crusherwhite, Horizongold101, Lupussilver and Sharkgrey were able to repel them all. Eventually, they stood outside the throne room. "Ready?" Crusherwhite asked. They all gave a short nod. Crusherwhite pushed the door open and saw SoulGunBlack in the middle of the room.

"Well, well, you actually made it. I guess your friends are powerful after all. Too powerful to be allowed to interfere," he said as he snapped his fingers. A dark barrier separated Crusherwhite and all his friends from each other.

"Release them at once!" he demanded. SoulGunBlack shook his head.

"Only if you defeat me," he told Crusherwhite. Crusherwhite charged at him, Bone Sceptre raised. He leapt in the air and brought his weapon down hard and fast. SoulGunBlack easily blocked it with his own Bone Sceptre. "Does this look familiar to you?" he asked, bitter sarcasm in his voice. Crusherwhite did a back flip to prevent himself from getting hit. He pulled out his Illusens Earth Potion and unleashed the magical energy blast - it was intercepted in midair by another blast. SoulGunBlack was smiling. He was also holding an Illusens Earth Potion.

"Two of my weapons! Does he have them all?" Crusherwhite thought as he unleashed a stream of acid from his Scarab Ring. The attack was countered by a Scarab Ring in SoulGunBlack's possession. "You have all my weapons, don't you?" he asked SoulGunBlack as he managed to block an attack from the Tooth of Terask with his Leaf Shield. He then attacked with his own Tooth of Terask, only for it to be blocked by his Leaf Shield's twin.

"Does that answer your question?" SoulGunBlack asked sarcastically. The fight continued while Chris and the others watched.

"This is ridiculous. They're too evenly matched," Chris said. "We need to help him, but this barrier prevents us from doing anything." It was then that Chris noticed something strange. Crusherwhite had used his Burrow faerie ability to dodge a stream of acid. He then fired a stream of acid himself to attack SoulGunBlack. SoulGunBlack however had leapt to the side. "That's weird. Why didn't he burrow?" Chris asked. He then figured it out. "Crusherwhite, he has your weapons, but he can't use your faerie abilities. You can win this fight!" Chris called out.

"Awesome! Okay, let's give it a try!" Crusherwhite said. He concentrated and fired a Water Jet attack at SoulGunBlack. SoulGunBlack was too slow to defend it, and was thrown against the wall, hard. "Alright, it worked! Let's do another one," he said as he concentrated again. He fired a Spark and a Fireball at the same time. SoulGunBlack was struck by both attacks and fell to his knees. "One more should do the trick," Crusherwhite thought as his tail became wrapped in thunder. "My Thunder Tail attack has never let me down before, and it won't let me down now!" he told himself as he charged. The attack collided with SoulGunBlack and he was sent into the centre of the room. Crusherwhite walked over and looked at the shadow Lupe, who was trying desperately to get up. Crusherwhite smiled and removed Lola's pendant, placing it on the body of the injured Lupe. Suddenly, a beam of light enveloped SoulGunBlack's body. Crusherwhite looked at SoulGunBlack as his body began to disappear. "You're free now," he told the shadow Lupe as the light faded. SoulGunBlack collapsed and disappeared. All that was left was the pendant. The barrier lifted and Chris ran to Crusherwhite. Before he could reach his pet, they were covered in a beam of light.

Soon, they were back at Chris' home.

"I'm a little lost here. Could you please explain what happened there?" he asked Crusherwhite. Crusherwhite looked at his paws and noticed the cuts were gone.

"In the dream I had about Shenkuu, I tried to stop him from freezing the Shoyru. That's when I discovered the truth about SoulGunBlack. He was being manipulated by a dark energy. This force locked his spirit in his body and prevented him from moving on when he was defeated the first time. This dark energy was also responsible for the curse. When I placed Lola's pendant on SoulGunBlack's body, it released his spirit and destroyed the dark energy. It's all over now," he told them all.

"But what about the great power?" Chris asked, still confused. Crusherwhite shook his head.

"It never existed. It was just a rumour," he explained.

"Well, that's a relief," Lola said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I guess I should go now." And with those words, she made her way to the door.

"Lola, do you really have to go?" Crusherwhite asked her as he walked to her. "I don't want you leaving. You'll probably forget about me again." He began to cry. Lola placed a paw on his shoulder.

"I'll never forget you, Crusherwhite. As long as our bond exists, we'll always remember each other," she said happily, pointing to the necklace. "Thanks for everything," she said to Chris.

"It was no problem at all. We would all really like it if you could come to visit sometime," Chris told her. The others were all waving goodbye. Lola waved goodbye to them all, and left.

"We'd better get going too," Sarah told him with a smile. "We haven't cleaned the house in a few days, and in all honesty, I'm not really looking forward to it." She made her way to the door with her pets following close behind. As they left, Chris walked over to Crusherwhite.

"We'd better get an early night. It's been a huge adventure for us, and I'm rather exhausted from it all," he said with a slight yawn. Four Neomails came through the letterbox. Crusherwhite picked up the first one, opened it and read out loud.

"Dear Crusherwhite,

Since I cannot thank you in person, I have sent this message to you. On behalf of all of Faerieland, I humbly thank you for all of your assistance.

Yours sincerely, Queen Fyora."

Crusherwhite smiled and passed it to Chris while he read the second one.

"Dear Crusherwhite,

Words cannot express our gratitude for all of your assistance. Thanks to you and your friends, Altador is now safe and sound. May the sun shine wherever you go.

King Altador."

This made Crusherwhite very happy. He went on to the next mail.

"Dear Crusherwhite,

Thank you for all of the assistance you and your friends gave to our wonderful city of Shenkuu. Thanks to your efforts, minimal damage was caused and we can rebuild with no problems. Thank you once again.

Captain Tuan."

Crusherwhite never actually met Captain Tuan, but he still felt glad. He opened the last Neomail.

"Dear Crusherwhite,

This mail was sent as soon as you released my spirit. I am sorry for all of the trouble I have caused to you and everyone else involved. Hopefully you will find it in your heart to forgive me. Thank you ever so much. SoulGunBlack."

Crusherwhite just stared. There was no possible way this mail could have been from him. He ignored the thought. "Well, it's nice to know that everything is back to normal. I can rest easy now," he said with a slight yawn. He made his way back to his room, opening the passageway and making his journey through the tunnels. When he emerged in his room, he collapsed onto his bed. "Where did this dark energy come from? Who created it?" These questions still bothered him, but he ignored them and fell asleep. "Well, that was quite an adventure. Hopefully another one like that won't arrive in a while," he told himself as he drifted away.


End file.
